Discover to feature Amare Cantara on May 2

This original and exciting series will start with five shows in May and kick off again with thirteen shows this fall.

Amare Cantare is an auditioned chamber chorus that strives for musical excellence in the performance of challenging and diverse repertoire. We seek to foster a vital arts community, to collaborate with other organizations, to provide opportunities for artistic fulfillment for our singers, and to share our love of music with our audiences. Since its creation in the late 1970s, Amare Cantare, which means, “to love to sing” in Italian, has been performing masterworks and intimate choral music from five centuries. Its 28 members come from all over the Seacoast, ranging from Kittery, Maine to Middleton, N.H.

Catherine Beller-McKenna, Music Director, brings to Amare Cantare extensive experience in conducting choruses in both community and collegiate settings. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, her Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from New England Conservatory and her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of South Carolina, where she explored a special interest in text/music relationships in the cantatas of J.S. Bach. She has also conducted in master classes at the Oregon Bach Festival and the South Carolina Conductor’s Institute.

Since returning to New England in 1998, she has taught and conducted at Bowdoin College, the University of New Hampshire, and the University of Southern Maine. In addition to Amare Cantare, she directs Women in Harmony, a 50-voice women’s chorus in Portland and she previously directed the Granite State Choral Society, a 65-voice mixed chorus in Rochester.

Catherine (who goes by “Kitty”) believes strongly in the power of music to build community. She lives with her family in Durham. In recognition of her ongoing community efforts, she received the Maryann Hartmann Award from the University of Maine.

Upcoming concerts in the Discover Thursdays series include:

May 9: Salt River

May 16: The Porch Party Mamas

May 23: Dan Blakeslee

May 30: Portsmouth Underbelly Unplugged- Love for Sale

All performances will be held at Discover Portsmouth, 10 Middle St. Tickets are $12 and $10 for Portsmouth Historical Society members. Tickets are available at the door. For more information please call 603-436-8433.